New studies on marijuana are churned out nearly every day, with most of them focusing on novel findings about the plant’s therapeutic potential and the implications of legalization.

But cannabis itself isn’t new. Far from it. And a study published this month in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology documents the fascinating evolution of humanity’s relationship with marijuana over the course of thousands of years of history.

Researchers compiled a trove of documents from around the world and examined earlier studies in order to “provide a critical and comprehensive evaluation, from the ancient times to our days, of the ethnological, botanical, chemical and pharmacological aspects of [cannabis], with a vision for promoting further pharmaceutical research to explore its complete potential as a therapeutic agent.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) placed a marijuana-derived drug in Schedule V of the Controlled Substances Act on Thursday.

The medication, Epidiolex, contains purified cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. It was approved as a treatment option for severe forms of epilepsy by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June.

The number two U.S. House Democrat supports making medical marijuana available and says ending criminalization more broadly “probably makes sense,” but acknowledges that party leaders have not yet discussed moving cannabis-related legislation to passage next year should they win control of Congress in November.

With a governor’s signature on Friday, the latest place to legalize marijuana in the U.S. isn’t a state. It’s the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)—a tiny Pacific territory with a population of just over 50,000.

Under the new law signed by Gov. Ralph Torres (R), adults over 21 years of age will be able to legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana, as well as infused products and extracts. Regulators will issue licenses for cannabis producers, testing facilities, processors, retailers, wholesalers and lounges. Home cultivation of a small number of plants will be allowed.

A new study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence on Thursday found that older Americans are
increasingly turning to marijuana, particularly for medical purposes.

How big is the trend? Twice as many adults aged 50-64 (nine percent) and about seven times as many adults 65 and older (three percent) reported using cannabis in the past year, compared to a decade ago.

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